Australian deaf cricketer Shahrukh Syed will watch the Benaud-Qadir final tonight with rare happiness, no matter who wins.
"I'm just super excited as Pakistan is my country of birth and Australia is the country that has given me recognition," Syed said.
"To see both involved in a game of cricket which I love more than anything is something super special and that I will treasure for a long time.
"Australia touring Pakistan is very exciting for me as a cricket fan and, moreover, I wanted it to happen so the cricketers could themselves experience Pakistan as a country."
Like Usman Khawaja, Syed was born in Pakistan but chose to make his life Down Under.
The similarities do not end there: Both men are husbands, fathers of young children and stylish opening left-hand batters.
"Usman Khawaja is a great ambassador of multiculturalism in Cricket Australia," Syed said.
"My admiration for him derives from the fact that we've both got the same style of play, as he's also a left-handed opening batter. Watching him go about his business helps me a lot to improve my game as well."
Syed's representative career has been stalled by COVID-19 for two years.
But it will start up again in June when the International Cricket Inclusion Series is held in Brisbane:
- the competition will be held in Brisbane from June 1 to 15, with the Australian deaf, blind and intellectual disability squads set to play five T20I and three ODI matches against England
- it will be the first time the National Blind Squad has competed on the international stage since the 2018 Blind Cricket World Cup in Dubai
- the National Deaf Squad last competed at the India Deaf Cricket World Cup in 2018.
Cricket helped Syed communicate in his new homeland
Syed had to learn English and Auslan after moving to Australia in 2014.
He can't wait to take on the Poms.
"Playing against England would first up provide me with an opportunity of representing Australia," Syed said.
He said this, in itself, would be the "greatest honour" and something that he and his family could be immensely proud of.
"Secondly, the rivalry between the two nations involved is perhaps the greatest and definitely the most historic in cricket. So, yes, [I am] looking forward to a good contest," he said.
Syed works nine to five as a data-entry administrator for a private company in Western Australia.
After work, he gets into the nets and works on his fitness.
"With my gym routine, I'm currently focusing on strengthening my core, and also working on my strength, especially for my shoulders," he said.
Selection of the final squads will be announced in May, with training camps to be held prior to the series.
